This is crucial concept because Oh Comely is a small, niche independent magazine - completely different from the global brand that is Men's Health. We need to explore the surprising rise in independent publishing in recent years and why small print magazines seem to be surviving and thriving in the digital age.
Lesson notes
The independent print magazine is characterised as:
“…published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…'independent' in spirit due to a maverick editor or publisher who leads the magazine in an exploratory, noncommercial direction” (Thomas 2007).
Despite the renaissance of print through independent magazines, there are still huge challenges:
- Distribution: finding distributor, risk of unsold stock
- Lack of advertising revenue: meaning high cover price (all over £5, many around £10 or more)
- Audience: finding and targeting a viable audience
Ironically, the internet has proved an unlikely saviour for independent magazines – it facilitates direct sales and subscriptions and allows magazines to find niche communities, crowdfunding and contributors.
Iceberg Press: an independent publisher
Iceberg Press is completely different to Hearst UK – the publisher of Men’s Health and subsidiary of global conglomerate Hearst.
It publishes just two magazines: Oh Comely and The Simple Things.
Oh Comely Industries case study - blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to complete your work on the Oh Comely magazine CSP. There are plenty of questions here but you will be given lesson time to start this and will find the reading gives you a brilliant insight into a vital aspect of media - the power of independent institutions.
Iceberg Press
Visit the Iceberg Press website - particularly the Who Are We page and the Why Are We Here page. Read the content and then answer the following questions:
1) Why did the people behind Iceberg Press set it up?
" We are proudly independent and put the reader at the heart of everything we do."
2) What is the Iceberg Press mission statement? (It's on the Why Are We Here page and is a series of statements).
- It's all about the audience
- Chase the work, not the money
- Compromise isn't our friend
- We will always make time for ideas
- We are stronger when we work with others
- We want good people to work in a good place
- Every year we will help a cause that matters
- We believe in a thing called print.
Oh Comely and The Simple Things.
4) What similarities do you notice between The Simple Things magazine and Oh Comely?
They both target a female target audience.
5) What differences can you find between Hearst UK, publisher of Men's Health, and Iceberg Press?
Hearst UK is a much bigger publication institution than Iceberg Press.
Writer's Edit journal article
Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
An independent print magazine characterised as “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution.
2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?
Small printed magazines are thriving and gaining wider audiences benefiting them, however newspapers and the books industry are decreasing as a business due to the digital age.
3) What is the aim of Kinfolk magazine and what similarities can you draw with Oh Comely?
Kinfolk aims to help readers find ways to simplify their lives.
4) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?
In contrast, those behind independent magazines use digital developments to their advantage, and have a strong online presence. These creators set their own terms and rely on collaboration to achieve them.
5) How do independent magazines launch? Look at the example of Alphabet Family Journal.
Relies entirely on its online crowdfunding campaign for print publication.
6) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?
This is because on the digital media it is faster way of communicating to a wider audience.
7) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?
This is because they share a similar creative vision.
8) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?
"Emphasises semiotic self-determination in how citizens formulate and live out their identities and actions as citizens".
9) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?
"Something real [that] will never go away. Because nothing beats the experience of print. There is beauty in the ritual of holding a physical magazine in front of you”
10) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?
Creators rely on subscriptions and high cover prices to continue to produce, while not necessarily making a profit from each print run.The high quality of the print and unique nature of independent magazines' content and design justifies to buyers the high price relative to mainstream weekly and monthly magazines.
Irish Times feature
Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:
1) Why are independent magazines so popular?
Their subject matter is as diverse as their production techniques.
2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?
This is because big global conglomerate have a much larger circulation than independent magazine.
3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?
It’s easier than ever to build an audience.
4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?
Shipping boxes of magazines is expensive, and with publishers taking all the risk.
5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?
Set up that League of Ireland fan culture magazine, you can host events, sell graphic prints, T-shirts and maybe set up a Patreon account where you can host football podcasts.
TCO interview with Ruth Jamieson
Finally, read this excellent interview on the TCO London website with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector. Answer the following questions:
1) Why does Ruth Jamieson suggest there's a renaissance in independent publishing?
Independent magazine tends to be more popular as they are more diverse in what they put in their magazine.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
Something no one else is doing, and offering something digital media can’t offer.
3) How many of these aspects can you find in Oh Comely? Make specific reference to the CSP pages where possible.
Oh Comley is not like a typical traditional magazine front cover. They do not have much cover lines like most magazines would have. The magazine connotes themes of an arthouse.
4) How does Jamieson see the future for the magazine industry?
We’ll see more magazines come and go. But that the standard will continue to rise.
5) How might this future impact Oh Comely? Do you think Oh Comely will survive the next five years - and why?
I think that Oh Comley will if they carry on with their unique arthouse design.
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